Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sulfur fixation in wood mapped by synchrotron X-ray studies
T2 - implications for environmental archives
AU - Fairchild, Ian I
AU - Loader, Neil J
AU - Wynn, Peter M
AU - Frisia, Silvia
AU - Thomas, Peter A
AU - Lageard, Jonathan G A
AU - De Momi, Anna
AU - Hartland, Adam
AU - Borsato, Andrea
AU - La Porta, Nicola
AU - Susini, Jean
PY - 2009/3/1
Y1 - 2009/3/1
N2 - There is a shortage of archives of sulfur that can be used to investigate industrial orvolcanic pollution in terrestrial catchments, but the role of S as a nutrient, coupled with sparse published evidence, suggests that trees are promising targets. We focused on two conifer species (Picea abies (L.) Karst and Abies alba Miller) from an Alpine site in NE Italy. Bulk analyses of Abies demonstrate that S concentrations were higher in the second half of the 20th century but with some high outliers possibly reflecting particulate impurities. X-ray synchrotron analyses confirmed the observed time trend, which is similar to that of a nearby stalagmite, and reflects an atmospheric pollution record mediated by storage in the soil and ecosystem. S and P were found to be localized in the inner cell wall (ca. 2 microm wide), local thickenings of which probably account for some outlying high values of S in synchrotron studies. S occurs as a mixture of oxidation states (0 to +0.5, +2, +5, and +6) which are consistent in space and time. The results indicate that wood older than a few years contains archive-quality S but that robust conclusions require multiple replicate analyses.
AB - There is a shortage of archives of sulfur that can be used to investigate industrial orvolcanic pollution in terrestrial catchments, but the role of S as a nutrient, coupled with sparse published evidence, suggests that trees are promising targets. We focused on two conifer species (Picea abies (L.) Karst and Abies alba Miller) from an Alpine site in NE Italy. Bulk analyses of Abies demonstrate that S concentrations were higher in the second half of the 20th century but with some high outliers possibly reflecting particulate impurities. X-ray synchrotron analyses confirmed the observed time trend, which is similar to that of a nearby stalagmite, and reflects an atmospheric pollution record mediated by storage in the soil and ecosystem. S and P were found to be localized in the inner cell wall (ca. 2 microm wide), local thickenings of which probably account for some outlying high values of S in synchrotron studies. S occurs as a mixture of oxidation states (0 to +0.5, +2, +5, and +6) which are consistent in space and time. The results indicate that wood older than a few years contains archive-quality S but that robust conclusions require multiple replicate analyses.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=64349089751&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/es8029297
DO - 10.1021/es8029297
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 19350896
VL - 43
SP - 1310
EP - 1315
JO - Environmental Science and Technology
JF - Environmental Science and Technology
SN - 0013-936X
IS - 5
ER -